Postal-examination practice-cabinet.



Patented I-uly 3|, l|900.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ Y, Il. E Z v EEEEE I E E E AG. H. MABKLINE.

PSTAL` EXAMINATION PRACTICE CABINET.

(Application mea Apr. s. 1900.)

wv EE 15 LJ E i n EEEEE EEEEEEEEE n v Wwf a (No Model No. 654,660. Patented luly 3l, |900. G. H. MARKLINE.

. PDSTAL EXAMINATION PRAGTICE `CABINET.

(Application led Apr. 3, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

. Wifgczssas Z/y: MW

N'rrE STATES PATENT EErcE- noemt-EXAMINATION PEACTICE-cAelNe-;

sPEc-IFICATION forming part ofV lte-ers Patent no. 654,660, ated July 31, 190e. Y

Application niet April s, 1900.

To ZZ when@ t muy concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. MARKLINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meridian, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Postal-Examination Practice-Cabinet, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved postal-examination practicecabinet for railway postal clerks, post-office clerks, and examiners, the primary object of my invention being to provide a compact, light, cheap, and portable cabinet having a seriesrofpige'onhole cases or drawers adapted to be withdrawn from the cabinet in whole or in part and to be sustained thereby in position-when drawn outnto their full extent, the pigeonholes in said cases being adapted to receive cards such as are used in practice and examination by Government postal employees of the classes above named.

To this end my inventionconsistsin `a cabinet having a series of removable pigeonholecases which are adaptcdto be drawn out laterally therefrom and stops' and "guides to limit the lateral withdrawal of said cases and to permit of their being lifted'when withdrawn entirely clear of the cabinet, and thereby rcmoved therefrom.

My invention furthe1 consists in a cabinet having a series of pigeonhole-cases adapted to be withdrawn therefrom or contained therein, a pair of said cases having removable pigeonhole-partitions whereby the pigeonholes therein may be widened, and one of said pair of cases having a removable back, said pair of cases being adapted to be secured together, the one with the removable back on the face of the other, and with theV widened pigeonholes of said respective cases registering with each other, whereby the said pair of cases are united tc'increase the depth of the pigeonholestherein.

My invention further consists inthe peculiar cnstructionandcombinatin of devices hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

1 In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a practice-cabinet embodying myimprovements, showing the lower drawer open and one of the series of pigeonhole-cases partly withdrawn from the cabinet.

Serial No. 11,380. (No model.)

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same from above, taken on the line ct a of Fig. 3, showing two of the pigeonhole-cases removed, so as to disclose the construction of the bottom of the cabinet and the rollers therein for supporting the pigeonhole-cases yand reducing friction when the same are 4withdrawn or closed. Fig. 3 is partly a front elevation and partly a vert-ical sectional view :of my improved practice-cabinet. Fig. 4 is partly a side elevation of the same and partly asectional view, one of the pigeonhole-cases being shown in position when withdrawn lat- `gerally to its full extent from the cabinet and in, position to be raised, and thereby entirely detached from the cabinet. Fig. 5 is a detail View. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a pair of the pigeonhole-cases secured together and adapted for use for putting facing-slips into runs. Fig. 4'7 is a detail horizontal sectional `View ofthe same, through one side thereof, looking downward.

. The cabinet/1 may be of any suitable size and constructed of any suitable material and, ashere shown, is provided with cornerposts 2, the lower ends of which terminatein Alegs 3 to support the cabinet. Below the bottom of `the cabinet is a sliding drawer 4, of 'suitable construction, suitably divided into compartments adapted to contain maps,blank cards, and the like, and said drawer is preferably provided with a lock, as at 5, and a suitable drawer-pull (i.

The cabinet is provided on its front side with a hinged door 7, which has at its upper side a cleat or strip- 8, which4 projects laterally from the inner side thereof and is adapted to iit in the rabbet 9 on the tops of the front corner-posts and to contact with the front` edge of the top or cover l0 of thecabinet when said door is closed. The said strip or cleat 8 by resting on the upper ends of the front posts prevents the door from' sagging, as will be understood. The said doorispreferably provided with a lock of .suitable construction, as at 11, whereby it maybe secured when closed.

The cabinet is divided into a series of vertical compartments 12, which open at their front sides, vertical stop and guide strips 13 at their front sides serving to divide the said compartments, and in the bottoms of the said IOO compartments are a series of rollers 14, which Y are mountedin suitable bearings, as at"15, the said supporting-rollers in each of the said compartments being provided with annular projecting iianges 16, which aline with eachV other, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer sides 4of the stop and guide strips 13are ush with the front side of the cabinet, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the door of the cabinet being adapted to close directly against the front sides of said stop and guide strips, and said strips terminate at, their upper ends a shortv distance below thel top of thecabin-et, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

A series of vertically-disposed pigeonhole.-4 cases 17` are arranged and received inthe providedwith vertical extensions 20, which project laterally beyond the sides of thel cases and form stops, whichcoact with rabbets 21 on the inner sides of the stop and guidestrips 13 and serve to prevent the pigeonhole-cases from being detached entirely from vthe cabinet when withdrawn laterally therefrom to their entire extent. When thus withdrawn, the.. cases17 slip from. the. rollers near the front-side of` the cabinet and rest` upon the.. front, sill or lower cross-bar 2.2V thereof, as.

shown in Fig. 4. The innerlower cornersfof said pigeonholefcases when thus withdrawn areadaptedto engage a horizontal rabbet 23 in` the .upper outer corner of said sill or crossbar22.. -When thuswithdrawn, the stops 20.

arein contact with the stops 21V of the strips 13,`and,the.rearsides of the pigeonhole-cases areclear ofthe u-pper front side of the cabinet, so that .by lifting said pigeonhole-cases, asindicated.' in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the same may be entirely detached from the cabinet,

the coacting stops 2O 2l serving as guides. for said pigeonhole-cases Vwhen the latter are' so lifted. from the cabinet to'be used for the-disL tribution of practice-cards therein.

When thecabinet is. designed for use as practice-cabinets for employees in the postal service, each of the series. of cases 17 is providedrwith a suitable number of pigeonholes 24Lof1like dimensions, which open on one side ofA thel caseV and, have their lowervsi-des inclined, as at 25, saidy pigeonholes being adaptedtozreceive the cards used in practice by-v employeesnin thepostal service, and into which .pigeonh'oles 24orcompartments suchY cards are adapted'to be thrown or distributed, and said pigeonholeicases'arefurther provided, preferably on their front sides, j

withvertical f compartmen ts or heightened pigeonholes, as, at` 2.6, intowhich said-cards. may be-stacked. A suit-able pull, as at 27,.

the" destination thereof.

is provided on the front side of each of the pigeonhole-cases to. enable the same to be readily .pulled out from the cabinet; The said pigeonhole-cases are provided on the front sides of lthe pigeonholes with suitable label-holders, as at 28, for labels containing the names of routes and junctions or other suitable labels. The lower series of pigeonholes in each case are partly closed on their lower front sides by metallic strips, as at 29, to prevent lateral dislodgment of the cards in said pigeonholes, the bottoms of the said lower series of pigeonholes being formed by the' horizontal lower side or bottom board of v.their respective case. 1

Facing-slips used in the transmission of mail-matter are of about twice the length and width of the practice-cards used in practice by postal clerks andin postalexaminations, and the width ofthe pigeonhole-cases being about equal to the length of one of said practice-cards it becomes of importance to adapt my cabinet for use for puttingl facing-slips into runs. To this vend I provide two of the n pigeonhole cases with alternate removable transverse Vpartitions a, which are ladapted to beV readily taken from said cases to. widen the pigeonholes therein, correspondingly reducf ing their number, as will be understood,- and the rear side of one of saidcases is removable,

as at b, and is fittedfatl the edges -in grooves c, provided in the sides'andbottom-of the case. A facing-slip is a `printed slip used by post-officeu and lrailway postal clerks to form alabel either for a packageof letters'ora mail pouch or rack, showing nature of the contents of the package, pouch, orrack and These facing-slips Iare put into appropriate pigeonholes in cases in post-offices andin inail-cars before the letters are distributedinto them, the facing-A slips.correspondingwithV the` labelsabove the pigeonholes on the letter-cases Afrunf of facing-slips is a series of suchslips arranged in regular consecutiveorder, sothat they cor= `respond with. the pigeon-holes of the case andV vcan be expeditiously put into the label-holders ofthe Vrespective mail racks or pouches 4.to address them to their respective-destinations.w Theacingslips are put up inlpackages corresponding to runs -an-d in usel are :first distributed into pigeonholes, as-lhereim -af-ter stated. A case of my cabinet is labeled ito correspond with a run. and is used foi-"disr -tributing the facing-slips appropriatelyp-rior 'totheiruse onletterfcases or mail-racks. ,In order to provide means` for pu-ttingvfacV fing-slips into runs, I remove the alternate .verticalk transverse partitions o.. 'in said two `cases, remove. the back-Vb of one ofthe` cases {by sliding the sam-e out ofV the grooves c, and yplace said case on the other case with-the 4pigeonhol'es of said cases registering with l:each other, whereby saidpair of casesV are `form ed.V withfpigeonholes of ltwice-their original width and depth, andi secure said-*pair of cases together in this position `by means IOO IIO

of straps d, as shown in Fig. 6, or by other suitable means.

The legs of the cabinet are provided with supporting-rollers, as at 30, whereby the cabinet is adapted to be readily moved about. Any suitable form of rollers may be used; but rollers provided with ball-bearings are preferred.

Having thus described my invention, I claim l. A cabinet having a series of removable pigeonhole-cases, adapted to be drawn out laterally therefrom, and vertical stops and guides to limit the lateralwithdrawal of said cases and to permit of their' being lifted vertically when withdrawn, entirely clear of the cabinet and thereby removed therefrom, substantially as described.

2. A cabinet having a series of vertical compartments, vertical guides and stopstrips at the front side of said cabinet between said compartments, said vertical stop-strips being in advance of the face of the cabinet, and a series of cases adapted to be placed in said compartments, said caseshaving the vertical stops at their rear, inner ends adapted to coact with the stop-strips at the front side of `the cabinet when said cases are drawn out,

whereby said cases may be supported by the cabinet when drawn out therefrom and are also adapted to be removed from the cabinet bylifting saidcases vertically, substantially as described.

3. A cabinet having a series of vertical compartments open on one side, vertical stop and guide strips between the front sides ofA said compartments, said stop and guide strips having rabbets on their inner sides, which rabbets project beyond the face of the case and are open at the upper ends of said strips, and a series of cases in said compartments, said cases having the guide and stop projecting flanges at their rear inner sides, adapted to engage and travel in the rabbets of the vertical stop and guide strips, substantially as described.

4. A cabinet having a series of pigeonholecases adapted to be entirely withdrawn and `removed therefrom or contained therein, a

pair of said cases having removable partitions, whereby the pigeonholes therein may be widened, and one of said pair of cases having a removable back, said pair of cases being adapted to be secured together when removed from the cabinet, the one with the removable back on'the face of the other, and with the widened pigeonholes of said respective cases registering with each other, whereby the said pair of cases when withdrawn and entirely removed fromsaid cabinet may be united to increase the depth and "width of the pigeonholes therein, substantially as des scribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto axed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

, GEO. H. MARKLIN E.

Witnesses:

D. C. MCLAURIN, F. G. LEWIS. 

